Gibby Haynes and Jack White Expertly Marry Punk and Blues on Third Man Blue Series 7-Inch

Jack White's Nashville-based record label Third Man has a series of 7-inch 45 rpm vinyl singles called The Blue Series that brings in varied musicians to the Third Man recording studios to cut two tracks, usually all covers. Each Blue Series release puts a unique spin on familiar and not so familiar songs and really showcases the uniqueness and innate talent of both the featured artist and White's production ability and musical taste. The Blue Series entry from Butthole Surfers frontman Gibby Haynes is no different, though it features original songs written by Haynes.

Side A of the 45 starts off with the wonderfully demented punk ditty "Paul's Not Home," originally by hardcore band Adrenalin O.D. The song is structured around a person ringing the doorbell and asking questions like "Is Paul in rehab?" followed by one line repeated over and over again, like "Paul's on dope!," very fast with a jackhammer downstroke-heavy repetitive punk riff led by Jack White on guitar. The song ends in a typically punk sputter of disjointed notes and random vocalizations. Also in typical punk fashion it's very short, clocking in well under two minutes.

The second track on Side A is a Gibby Haynes original, "You Don't Have To Be Smart." Naturally, it sounds a bit like Butthole Surfers but with a bit more of a blues thing going on. The song also has some Stooges vibes in the tones and a blistering, frenetic James Williams-like guitar solo from Jack White in the middle that actually takes up most of the short song.

Side B is another Haynes original, "Horse Named George," which is an overt Chicago blues boogie, presumably about a guy's adventures with his horse, that nearly verges on parody simply because Gibby exudes tongue-in-cheek. However, it's still a rocking song with the classic Muddy Waters-like call-and-response structure but explosive guitar and drums that recall Jack White's many bands as well as Led Zeppelin.

Not every Blue Series release is a winner but this one from Gibby Haynes is. It manages to capture the unhinged weirdness he has but also showcases it in a way that's enjoyably different than what we've heard from him before.